The largest seed in the world is the coco de mer, [1] [2] the seed of a palm tree. [3] It can reach about 30 centimetres (12 inches) long, and weigh up to 18 kilograms (40 pounds). The coco de mer, which produces a giant, dark brown seed, [4] has been protected by the government of the Seychelles because of its rarity [5] – the tree can grow up to 31 m (102 ft) tall, with leaves measuring 6 m (20 ft) long and 3.6 m (12 ft) wide. Kigelia or "sausage seed" (botanical name Kigelia africana) can produce pods weighing up to 12 kg (26 lb), and 12–20 cm (4+1⁄2–8 in) long, but the pod contains seeds.
Other recorded largest seeds include: [6]
Seed | Image | Species | Family | Size in inches | Size in cm | Weight | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Coco de mer | Lodoicea maldivica | Palm family (Arecaceae or Palmae) | 12 in | 30 cm | 18 kg (40 lbs) | The single largest Lodoicea seed found to date was one weighing 25 kg (55 lbs). [7] | |
Coconut | Cocos nucifera | Palm family (Arecaceae or Palmae) | 6 inches | 15 cm | The Andaman Giant Coconut can have a weight of about 8 lbs (3.6 kg). [8] | ||
Mora [9] or "Mangle Neto" | Mora oleifera or Mora megistosperma | Senna family (Caesalpinaceae) | 7 in by 6 in by 3 in | 18 cm by 15 cm by 8 cm. | 2.2 lbs (1 kg) [10] | ||
East Indies Palmyra | Borassus sundaicus | Palm family (Arecaceae or Palmae) | 2.2 lbs (1 kg) [11] | ||||
African Palmyra | Borassus aethiopum | Palm family (Arecaceae or Palmae) | Up to 4.29 inches by 3.15 in by 2.24 in. | Up to 10.9 cm by 8 cm by 5.7 cm. [12] | |||
Caroline Ivory Palm | Metroxylon amicarum | Palm family (Arecaceae or Palmae) | 4.5 inch sphere | 11 cm sphere | 1 lb. 4 oz (560 grams) [13] | ||
Muli | Melocanna baccifera | Grass family (Graminae or Poaceae) | 3.9 inches long and nearly as wide. [14] | Ten cm long and nearly as wide. | 12.3 oz (350 grams) [15] | ||
Also called "Mora" | Mora excelsa | Senna family (Caesalpinaceae) | 5 in by 2.75 in. | 12.5 cm by 8 cm. [16] | 8.8 oz (250 grams) [17] | ||
Tea Mangrove [18] | Pelliciera rhizophorae | Tea or Camellia family (Theaceae) | 4 in sphere. | 10 cm sphere. | 7 oz (200 grams) | ||
Bornean ironwood, Belian var. "Tanduk" | Eusideroxylon zwageri variety exilis | Laurel family (Lauraceae) | 6.3 in by 2 in diam. | 160 mm by 5 cm diam. [19] | |||
Pohon Kira-kira | Xylocarpus granatum | Mahogany family (Meliaceae) | Tetrahedral seeds four inches on a side. | Tetrahedral seeds 10 cm on a side. [20] | Also called "puzzlenut" because the nuts can be reassembled into a sphere. | ||
Chayote | Sechium edule | Squash family (Cucurbitaceae) | 4 in by 2.75 in by 1 in. | 10 cm by 7 cm by 2.5 cm. [21] | |||
Idiot fruit | Idiospermum australiense | Spicebush family (Calycanthaceae) | 3.1 in sphere. | 8 cm sphere. [22] | 7.9 oz. (225 grams) [23] | Very poisonous. | |
"Capucin". | Northia seychellana | Sapote Family (Sapotaceae) | 3.1 inches, and nearly as wide3. | 8 centimeters, and nearly as wide. [24] | weight not stated | ||
Avocado | Persea americana | Laurel family (Lauraceae) | 3 in | 7.6 cm | |||
Chuya | Pouteria speciosa | Sapote family (Sapotaceae) | 3.5 in long by 2.4 in thick. | 90 mm long by 60 mm thick. [25] | |||
Boko tree | Balanites wilsoniana | Balanitaceae | 3.46 in by 1.81 in diameter. | 8.8 cm by 4.7 cm diameter. [26] | |||
Pacó | Grias tessmannii | Monkeypot family (Lecythidaceae) | 3.2 in by 2.5 in. [27] | 8 cm by 6.5 cm. | |||
Cativo | Prioria copaifera | Senna family (Caesalpinaceae) | Up to six ounces (170 grams) [28] | ||||
California buckeye | Aesculus californica | Horse chestnut family (Hippocastanaceae) | 2.88 in width, 2.63 in breadth and 2.13 in height. [29] | 7.32 cm width, 6.68 cm breadth and 5.41 cm height | 5 oz (140 grams) | This is the largest of all temperate (non-tropical) seeds. Poisonous. | |
Provision tree, Guiana chestnut | Pachira aquatica | Kapok family (Bombcaceae) | Squarish seeds to 2.4 inches on a side. | Squarish seeds to 6.1 cm. on a side. [30] | |||
Elephant Creeper. | Entada phaseoloides | Mimosa family (Mimosaceae) | 2.8 in by 2.4 in by 1.0 in. | 71 mm by 61 mm by 25 mm. [31] | 2.1 oz. (60 grams) | ||
Tauari | Couratari macrosperma | Monkeypot family (Lecythidaceae) | 3.9 inches by 1.2 inches. [32] | 10 cm by 3 cm. | |||
Membrillo | Gustavia dodsonii | Monkeypot family (Lecythidaceae) | 2.9 inches by 2,25 inches. | 74 mm by 58 mm. [33] | |||
(no common name) | Macrozamia macdonnellii | Coontie family (Zamiaceae) | 3.2 inches by 2.2 inches. | 8 cm by 5.5 cm. [34] | The largest of all Gymnosperm seeds. | ||
Also called Tauari | Couratari longipedicellata | Monkeypot family (Lecythidaceae) | Four inches long by 0.9 inches wide. | 9.5 cm long by 2.3 cm wide. [35] | |||
(no common name) | Grias multinervia | Monkeypot family (Lecythidaceae) | 3 inches by 1.17 inches. [36] | 77 mm by 30 mm. | |||
Fatra | Cycas thouarsii | Sago palm family (Cycadaceae) | 2.75 inches by 2.3 inches. | 7 cm by 6 cm. [37] | Pachytesta incrassata of the Carboniferous deposits was up to 5 in by 2.5 in diam (12 cm by 6 cm diam.) and weighed about seven ounces (200 grams). [38] | ||
Mango | Mangifera indica | Sumac family (Anacardiaceae) | 2-4 inches | ||||
Peach | Prunus persica | Rose family (Rosaceae) | 2 inches | 3 cm |
The Arecaceae is a family of perennial, flowering plants in the monocot order Arecales. Their growth form can be climbers, shrubs, tree-like and stemless plants, all commonly known as palms. Those having a tree-like form are called palm trees. Currently, 181 genera with around 2,600 species are known, most of which are restricted to tropical and subtropical climates. Most palms are distinguished by their large, compound, evergreen leaves, known as fronds, arranged at the top of an unbranched stem, except for the Hyphaene genus, who has branched palms. However, palms exhibit an enormous diversity in physical characteristics and inhabit nearly every type of habitat within their range, from rainforests to deserts.
Bignoniaceae is a family of flowering plants in the order Lamiales commonly known as the bignonias or trumpet vines. It is not known to which of the other families in the order it is most closely related.
Lodoicea, commonly known as the sea coconut, coco de mer, or double coconut, is a monotypic genus in the palm family. The sole species, Lodoicea maldivica, is endemic to the islands of Praslin and Curieuse in the Seychelles. It has the largest seed in the plant kingdom. It was also formerly found on the small islets of St Pierre, Chauve-Souris, and Ile Ronde, all located near Praslin, but had become extinct there for a time until recently reintroduced.
Mora is a genus of large trees in the subfamily Caesalpinioideae of the legume family Fabaceae.
Idiospermum is a monotypic genus in the family Calycanthaceae. The sole included species is Idiospermum australiense − commonly known as idiotfruit, ribbonwood, or dinosaur tree − which is found only in two small areas of the tropical rainforests of northeastern Queensland, Australia. It is a relic of the ancient forests of Gondwana, surviving in very localised refugia for 120 million years, and displaying features that are almost identical to fossil records from that time. As such it provides an important insight into the very early evolution of flowering plants.
Grias cauliflora, the anchovy pear, is an evergreen fruit tree native to Jamaica, Central America, and Colombia. It is often found near rivers or marshes in large colonies. It belongs to the Lecythidaceae family.
The palm tree Phytelephas aequatorialis, commonly known as Ecuadorian ivory palm, is the main source of Ecuadorean vegetable ivory or tagua, a botanical alternative to ivory. It is found in the tropical rainforests of the western Andean slopes of Ecuador. It has a woody trunk which can grow to 20 m in height and very long pinnate leaves.
Jubaea is a genus of palms with one species, Jubaea chilensis, commonly known in English as the Chilean wine palm or Chile cocopalm, and palma chilena in Spanish. It is native to southwestern South America and is endemic to a small area of central Chile between 32°S and 35°S in southern Coquimbo, Valparaíso, Santiago, O'Higgins, and northern Maule regions.
Cariniana is a genus of trees in the family Lecythidaceae, first described as a genus in 1842. The entire genus is native to South America. Many are of importance for timber production. Species of this genus may be known commonly as jequitibá.
Grias haughtii is a species of woody plant in the Monkeypot family Lecythidaceae. It is found only in Colombia in non-flooded lowland forests. Its most remarkable feature is its leaves, which can be up to 5.5 feet in length by 16.5 inches in width. It also produces exceptionally large seeds, up to 2.7 inches (69 mm) in length by one inch (25 mm) in diameter.
Barringtonia asiatica, also known as fish poison tree, putat or sea poison tree, is a species of Barringtonia native to mangrove habitats from islands of the Indian Ocean in the west to tropical Asia and islands of the western Pacific Ocean.
Roystonea regia, commonly known as the royal palm, Cuban royal palm, or Florida royal palm, is a species of palm native to Mexico, the Caribbean, Florida, and parts of Central America. A large and attractive palm, it has been planted throughout the tropics and subtropics as an ornamental tree. Although it is sometimes called R. elata, the conserved name R. regia is now the correct name for the species. The royal palm reaches heights from 15–24 m (50–80 ft) tall. Populations in Cuba and Florida were long seen as separate species, but are now considered a single species.
Barringtonia racemosa, commonly known as powder-puff tree, is a species of tree in the family Lecythidaceae. It is found in coastal swamp forests and on the edges of estuaries in the Indian Ocean, starting at the east coast of Mozambique and KwaZulu-Natal to Madagascar, India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Maldives, Thailand, Laos, southern China, northern Australia, coastal Taiwan, the Ryukyu Islands and many Polynesian islands.
The nut and tree of the coco de mer is a rare species of palm tree native to Africa, in the Seychelles archipelago in the Indian Ocean. It is the subject of various legends and lore. Coco de mer is endemic to the Seychelles islands of Praslin and Curieuse. Before the Seychelles were discovered and settled, nuts of this species were sometimes carried by the ocean currents to distant shores, such as those of the Maldives, where the tree was unknown. These floating nuts did not germinate. The exceptional size and suggestive form of the nut, the circumstances of its discovery, and some unusual qualities of the trees have given rise to several legends.
Jean-Nicolas Céré was a French botanist and agronomist born on the Indian Ocean Isle de France but educated in Brittany and Paris. On the Isle de France, he was befriended by Pierre Poivre (1719–1786), administrator of the Isle de France and Ile Bourbon (Réunion), who he assisted in the cultivation of spices. When Poivre was recalled to France in 1773, Céré was appointed Director of the Royal Garden at Monplaisir, a position he held from 1775 to the time of his death in 1810.
Roseodendron is a genus of flowering plants in the family Bignoniaceae. It consists of two species, Roseodendron donnell-smithii and Roseodendron chryseum. The type species for the genus is R. donnell-smithii. Both species are cultivated as ornamentals for their numerous, large, yellow flowers.
Morus celtidifolia, the Texas mulberry, is a plant species native to South America, Central America, Mexico, and the southwestern United States, ranging from Argentina north as far as Arizona and Oklahoma. In the US, it grows in canyons and on slopes, usually near streams, from 200–2,200 metres in elevation. It is very often referred to as "Morus microphylla," including in Flora of North America, but recent studies suggest that these names are synonymous with M. celtidifolia holding priority.
Parkia pendula is a species of neotropical evergreen tree found throughout Central and South America. It is part of the Parkia genus, a group of flowering plants that are part of the legume family, Fabaceae.
Scott Alan Mori was a Swiss and American botanist and plant collector. He specialized in the systematics and ecology of neotropical Lecythidaceae and Amazonian and Guianian floristics.
The Cartagena Botanical Garden is located in the hills above Cartagena, in Turbaco, Bolívar, Colombia. It stretches over nine hectares, of which three hectares are natural tropical dry forest and six hectares are dedicated to botanical collections.